Why the Great Directors Should Leave 3-D to the Shlockmeisters

After 3-D was revived in 1981 with the literally titled western Comin' at Ya!, the comin-at-ya format became primarily a boon for slasher sequels (Amityville 3-D), cheesy sci-fi (Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone), and, in the nineties, IMAX mini-movies (Wings of Courage). But in 2009, for the first time since Alfred Hitchcock made Dial M for Murder, James Cameron made 3-D attractive to auteurs with Avatar. Martin Scorsese’s Hugo is coming out later this month, Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg’s Tintin just premiered around the world ahead of its December U.S. release, and Bernardo Bertolucci’s Oscar-winning The Last Emperor is reportedly undergoing a 3-D revamp.